Description
A ground-breaking history of how women found synchronicity—and power—in water
Since the nineteenth century, tensions between beauty and strength, aesthetics and athleticism have both impeded and propelled the careers of female swimmers—none more so than synchronised swimmers. In this deeply researched history, Vicki Valosik traces a century of aquatic performance for the first time, from Victorian variety theatre and carnival shows to the 1984 elevation of synchronised swimming to Olympic status. Writing in eloquent prose, Valosik shows how early starlets like Lurline the Water Queen and Annette Kellerman boldly challenged restrictive codes set for women in water; more than just bathing beauties, they influenced lifesaving and physical-education programmes, dropped drowning rates and paved the way for new generations of female swimming athletes. Brimming with reverence and mesmerising detail, Swimming Pretty finally foregrounds an essential sport.
Now, on the fortieth anniversary of synchronised swimming’s elevation to Olympic status, Swimming Pretty honours its incredible history of grit, glamour and sheer athleticism.
Reviews
"[Valosik] give[s] an exhaustive history of swimming pretty without exhausting you. Her writing is lively and takes you right into each moment, then sends you off to tell everyone else about how tough this beautiful sport is–even if trying it sounds like a very tall order." — Isabel Hardman, The Spectator
"[A] fascinating book… [Valosik] compellingly conveys how difficult it is to stay underwater for minutes at a time, to kick in concert with seven other potent pairs of legs, to propel one’s body high out of the water—in full makeup and with a dazzling smile." — Lucy Moore, Literary Review
"In Swimming Pretty, Valosik puts the sport in a wide historical frame, showing how the very idea of women going into the water has both reflected and driven social change . . . Swimming Pretty features plenty of ‘who knew?’ moments and a teeming cast of characters." — Jennifer Schuessler, The New York Times
"[An] enlightening, well-researched history . . . As [Valosik's] book reveals in fascinating detail, although women’s access to the water has been mired for centuries in gender politics... women have transformed swimming for everyone in fundamental ways." — Sarah L Kaufman, The Wall Street Journal
Ebook
9781324093053
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£22.00
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